He Got Game (1998)

reviewed by
David Sunga


HE GOT GAME (1998)
Rating: 3.0 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
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A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Spike Lee
Written by: Spike Lee

Starring: Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Rosario Dawson, Milla Jovovich, Hill Harper

Ingredients: High school basketball player, father out of prison, temptation, trying to reconnect with children. father/son relationship

Synopsis: Jesus Shuttlesworth (NBA Milwaukee Bucks star Ray Allen) is a lonely high school basketball star who has never forgiven his father for the accidental killing of his mother during an argument long ago. His well-meaning father Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) pressured Jesus from birth to become a great ball player, alienating the child through incessant, demanding training, before being jailed for the murder and carted away.

Years later the talented Jesus is about to graduate from high school, and everyone in the world is out to exploit the kid's talent, from college recruiters offering unofficial hookers, to agents offering sports cars, fame, and the fast life. Even his girlfriend, uncle, and coach cannot be trusted. Everyone wants to use Jesus as a vehicle for self-enrichment. Jesus faces temptation and the risk of exploitation at every turn.

One day the governor offers Jake the chance to get out of prison early if he convinces Jesus to enroll at the governor's alma mater. He gives Jake one week of supervised freedom to make it happen or go back to jail. Jake knows it's exploitation, but this is the only opportunity for him to try to reconnect with his alienated son. He takes the deal.

A subplot involves Milla Jovovich as a jaded prostitute whom Jake discovers in a seedy motel, and tries to aid.

Can love break down animosity?

Opinion: HE GOT GAME is not a sports action vehicle; it's a father/son film, a good solid project by director Spike Lee. It's not often that we moviegoers get to see a film about love (other than the lusty romantic sort), but HE GOT GAME is about a father and son trying to reconnect, and their love must break tough barriers.

At the same time, another major theme of HE GOT GAME is exploitation. In our society it is sometimes assumed that Hollywood and sports celebrities who accumulate material wealth and fame have "got it made" and are happy. But in HE GOT GAME the only love that counts is the one that's real. To other people Jesus seems on the brink of stardom and happiness, but Jesus may actually be on the brink of unhappiness - - of discovering how much trusted people are using him for their own greedy purposes.

HE GOT GAME is part of an overall trend in 1990s film - - of the emerging theme of the awareness of mass manipulation. In SCREAM the movie characters know they are part of a film. In THE GAME and in DARK CITY we see an overall theme of manipulation by unseen hands. Next month in Jim Carrey's THE TRUMAN SHOW (which is similar to DARK CITY only it should be called BRIGHT CITY) we will again get to ponder the theme of Hollywood manipulators manipulating characters and situations like puppets for commercial gain. It's almost as if these days film is looking inwards on its exploitive, voyeuristic, and commercialist aspect. In HE GOT GAME, the glitz and glamour of stardom is shown to be an empty, friendless "tears-of-a-clown" world - - a mind game where greedy people manipulate each other for money. I predict this interpretation will sharpen and continue in other films this year.

There are a few minor things that could have been done a little stronger in HE GOT GAME: The music used Americana and fiddle in some parts of the film but rap in other parts, whereas it might have been stronger if the music was a consistent style. There also seem to be two distinct endings to the film (a real ending followed by another, symbolic, ending) rather than one. Finally, when Big Time Willie (a small time crook) rides Jesus around in his convertible and gives him a long-winded rundown on the various temptations of the inner city, Willie's speech seems contrived for the audience rather than for Jesus. These three things could have been sharper, but are still done sufficiently well.

For you basketball fans out there, there are also some interesting cameos by familiar NBA faces: Shaq, Jordan, Pippen, Reggie Miller, and coaches Rick Pitino (Celtics) and George Karl (Sonics).

There is solid acting and cinematography in HE GOT GAME, and it delivers an articulate viewpoint on our family values and on our society's values. As Malone of the NBA's Utah Jazz would say, HE GOT GAME delivers.

Reviewed by David Sunga
April 24, 1998
Copyright © 1998
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